Denis Leary

by Jason AnkenyThe in-your-face comedian Denis Leary was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1958. While attending Boston's Emerson College, he became a charter member of the school's Comedy Workshop, and spent five years teaching at the institution following graduation. After gaining some success as a stand-up and writer, in 1990 he and his pregnant wife Ann travelled to London, where Leary was scheduled to perform for a BBC broadcast; while overseas, the couple's baby unexpectedly arrived, and a planned weekend trip became a prolonged stay. To while away the hours, Leary began writing his breakthrough one-man show, No Cure for Cancer; after premiering in Scotland, the show found widespread critical acclaim throughout Britain, and moved to American shores the following year. In 1992, No Cure for Cancer was filmed for Showtime; an album and book of the monologue -- a bitter rant against the prevalence of no-smoking laws and the loss of personal freedom -- soon followed. At about the same time Leary also filmed a series of snarky promotional clips for MTV which greatly boosted his visibility; after a series of small film roles, he graduated to star status for 1994's black comedy The Ref. Although 1996's romantic comedy Two If By Sea, which Leary also co-wrote, was a critical and commercial failure, he quickly bounced back with a string of projects, including film appearances, TV spots and a projected sequel to No Cure for Cancer. The LP Lock 'N Load, which featured a guest appearance from the great Janeane Garofalo, appeared in 1997.